Power Rangers Aerial Defenders: Call of the Flock
by Check
Summary: When Astronema's Countdown to Destruction ends, peace seems to reign over the Earth, but certain pockets of evil remain, and it is up to the Phantom Ranger and the new Aerial Defense Rangers to protect that which matters most.
1. Prologue

A/N: Sorry, the last time I submitted this I forgot to put in a disclaimer. I don't think I have to do this for every chapter though, right?

Anyway, "Power Rangers" is the property of Disney/BVS Entertainment, and the songs are the property of someone else, possibly Saban and possibly Aaron Waters, and I'm not making any ca$h off this. It's just for fun.

CV

**Prologue**

"Sweep the perimeter. Allow no one to escape."

It wasn't the worst of times, but it certainly wasn't the best. Drawing a small blaster from its holster, the dark-suited warrior called Phantasm steadied himself and glanced over the edge of the burning rubble behind him. Seven, maybe eight groups of insect foot soldiers crept toward the hiding spot, and would be upon him in a few moments if he didn't think sharp. They were merely grunts, but that number could overwhelm him if he wasn't careful, given that he had no short-range or melee weapons. Transmissions were down, thanks to the jamming booth, so he couldn't count on the communication link or the teleportation link to save him now. If he could only get close enough to find out, even if only for himself, who it was that had thwarted Zordon's sacrifice and avoided the purge…

But unfortunately, all of the two masters that were visible were a pair of velvet cloaks; one gold, the other crimson. It was difficult to determine which had given the order, but it didn't matter now. He had to think fast; his cloaking was useless against the bug fighters, whose infrared vision would allow them to see his shape as he tried to hurry past. While he could attempt to fight them all, he would be at space without shuttles with only a blaster and a couple of grenades. How much damage could he do?

Unless…

The cold metal wouldn't attract the attention of the grunts, but a massive explosion would. Could he take down the whole station with one grenade and then still have enough time to teleport out? It would be his only hope now. Hoping that the "throw-something-one-way-and-run-the-other-way" tactic wasn't common knowledge among insectoid foot soldiers, Phantasm heaved the grenade off to the left, then waited.

BOOM.

The deafening roar nearly overwhelmed him, but he expected it, and thus was easily able to jump to his feet and take off around the right side of the wreckage. He was still several yards away from the entry hatch into the jamming booth, and the two masters were on the bridge. Hopefully they weren't heat-seekers, but as he got closer, the loud clanging of his boots would signal his advent.

"Quickly! Over here, you fools!" the one in gold shrieked, in a decidedly female voice beneath the snarl. From underneath her cloak she brandished a curved scimitar, revealing a glimpse of plated gold armor beyond the velvet in the process. Clearly a warrior, and clearly not someone to mess with. Thus, Phantasm chose the other option. Grasping the back of the other cloak, he yanked as he ran toward the hatch. Another screech sounded from behind him; apparently the other was a human female in a ridiculously impractical leather leotard, a crossbow attached to her forearm. Still invisible, he whisked the cloak around and over the first master.

His diversion had half the desired effect; irate, the first master in gold attempted to shred the offending article of clothing. However, recovering with astounding speed, the other spun around, her bobbed black hair bouncing around her face as she squinted at the seemingly empty air. Nocking a quintuplet of glowing pink arrows cleanly, she fired rapidly into the area that she believed Phantasm to be in.

Unfortunately, more than one met its mark. Three arrows sank beneath the level of his armor, poking him just below the shoulder blades and melting away his camouflage. The wounds were not deep, but still burned as if acid was being poured into the holes. Not stopping to extract them, Phantasm dashed into the hatch. Her cocoa eyes widening, the female archer took to the air, leaping almost the whole way to the hatch.

Phantasm looked back over his shoulder for one moment, and in that moment the slightest glimmer of recognition shot through his head. Where had he fought against this woman before? And…why was she…suddenly…so attractive?

Shaking it off, he pulled the grenade and threw it into the mess of computers. This needed to be done very delicately—if not, he'd be annihilated in the ensuing explosion.

The grenade bounced once, twice, three times. Phantasm's jaw tightened as he watched. The woman in leather threw open the door, then leapt upwards just in time.

The room was consumed in a massive fireball.


	2. Episode 1: Take Flight Part I

**Episode 1: Take Flight Part I**

At the age of nineteen, Jamal Davis was on top of the world.

"It's literally the easiest class to take, and since it's required for all sophomores, it's an instant A," his friend Eric was saying. "As long as you just speak up enough times, you get a good grade."

"I'm actually going to try to do well in this class, I think," Jamal replied. "I've always been into open discussion, and this Argumentative Reasoning class is going to let me do just that."

"You can have your discussion, dude," Eric yawned. "I'm a man of action. I'm not going to sit around just pondering forever. That's pretty much Boredom Central Station."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, action is good," Jamal amended. "But you can't just act without thinking."

"He who hesitates is lost, my friend," Eric said. "Take those freshman girls over there. You can think about what you're going to say and everything, but they're not going to sit around waiting for someone to formally introduce them to the university forever. Better get a move on, before someone else does."

As if to punctuate his point, he did a showy spin out of his chair and, after throwing Jamal a grin, coasted over to the group.

Jamal smiled and shook his head, then turned his attention to the bag of books he had picked up. Counting them off on his fingers, he made sure he had everything he needed.

"Excuse me? Is that the Argumentative Reasoning book?"

Jamal glanced up to see an Asian girl, most likely also a sophomore, with long dark hair and a pair of thin glasses. Her shy demeanor brought to mind the image of a silent, wise owl.

"Yes, it is," Jamal answered. "You're taking this class too?"

"I'm actually on the waitlist," the girl replied. "Trying to get in, but no luck just yet."

"Are you a sophomore?" Jamal asked. "I'd have thought there'd be reservations."

"Yes, but I'm a transfer student," the girl said. "I guess I just slipped through the cracks. I've been talking to my advisor about it, but I keep getting sent around in a circle."

Jamal looked concerned. "Well, don't let them shuffle you around too long. Have you talked to the professor yet?"

The girl shook her head. "It's still listed as TBA on my scheduler."

"Hmmm." Jamal nodded. "Why don't I show you where his office is? I had to go down yesterday to sort out a few things myself."

"That'd be wonderful, thanks," the girl replied. "By the way, my name's Wendy. Wendy Kwan."

"I'm Jamal Davis," Jamal said. "And it's no problem. The Humanities building is across campus though, so I'll walk you over so you don't get lost."

"Wow, thank you," Wendy said, looking pleasantly surprised.

As the pair passed the sign saying _University__ of Ryker City_, Wendy glanced around timidly. "Are you sure that it'll be alright to just go over without making an appointment?"

"No worries," Jamal replied. "Everything is going to go smoothly from here on out."

That was, of course, the moment when everything simultaneously lost its sanity.

To Jamal, it sounded as if there was one long eruption of panic all around him. Shouts of "Fire!" and "Help" started to reach his ears, and then he saw the tongues of flame licking out of the windows of the science and engineering hall. En masse, a mob of students streaked from the building, overwhelming the pair. Chaos reigned as people nearly trampled each other in their attempt to get out of the building. A couple of people tried to bring order to the situation; eventually, they abandoned their efforts as they saw the uselessness and joined the bustling throng of panicked people flowing from the hall. In the crowd, Jamal lost sight of the shorter girl as people flowed around them in complete and utter disarray.

"What's happening?" Wendy tried to yell above the din.

"Wendy?" Jamal yelled, wading upstream through the mob while turning wildly to and fro. "Wendy, where are you?"

Suddenly, a surge of people caused Jamal to stumble. Unable to see, he tripped forward, but managed to keep his balance. The crowd parted slightly, allowing him to get up. As the flow of people lessened, the two caught sight of each other once more. Wendy hurried to Jamal's side as they stared up at the building.

"I guess this isn't exactly something that happens normally?" Wendy noted, obviously fairly harried.

Jamal glanced at her. "Not exactly. It seems like the fire's coming from the chemistry halls."

"Aren't there explosive agents in there?" Wendy asked.

Jamal nodded. "That's what worries me. All these people are standing around way too close, so if something happens, there'll be a pretty big problem. And I don't hear an alarm, which means that someone would have had to call the fire department."

"Which no one probably did, and they all assumed someone else would have," Wendy replied, pulling out her cell phone. "I'll get on it."

"Okay, and try to get these people to move back a little," Jamal said. "I think there's another problem."

While Wendy dialed, Jamal looked back up at what was troubling him. From the distance they were at, he couldn't be sure, but it looked as if someone was trying to open a second-floor window from the inside, with little success. From the looks of things, smoke was entering the room rapidly. And if Wendy was calling the fire department now, they would act fast, but might not get there in time.

"That guy needs help!" Jamal yelled to the crowd. "Can anyone help me get up to that window?"

It seemed as if everyone was going to ignore him; no one answered.

"Anyone?" Jamal asked. "I just need a boost."

Finally, one of the students, a young man with wavy brown hair, walked up. "I'm pretty sure I've done climbs like that on rock faces. Never without equipment, but I've gone that high before."

Jamal looked at the student. "You can climb up there? All you'd have to do is knock open the window."

The guy squinted up at the window. "Yeah, I can probably do that."

Jamal nodded. "You need a boost or anything?"

With a chuckle, the young man grabbed a handhold in the brick and started scaling the wall. Jamal looked on while keeping watch for the firefighters.  
Finally, the young man got to the window ledge, taking a seat. Spying the person inside yanking on the handle, he motioned for him to stand back, then delivered a kick to the base of the window, knocking it open. He then scaled back down the side of the wall.

"How are we going to get him out?" he said to Jamal. "If he can't climb down, he's still in a lot of danger."

"I guess you probably don't have any strong fabric," Jamal remarked. "Otherwise, we could hold it out for him to jump into."

At that moment, Wendy walked up. "Help is on the way."

"Okay, well, what now?" Jamal asked.

The decision was made even more pressing by a burst of flame coming from the open window. The man leaned forward with a scream; his back looked singed if not burned.

"Sir, is there a fire extinguisher in that room?" Jamal shouted up to the man.

"Yes, but I couldn't get to it!" the man shouted back. "All I have is this fire blanket."

"That's it," the curly-haired student replied. "If he tosses it down we'll have something to catch him in."

Jamal nodded. "Good thinking." He then turned to the window and gave the man the instructions. Within moments, the three were holding the edges of the fire blanket.

"Fall on!" Jamal shouted. It was just in time as well; as the man exited the window there was yet another burst of fire, this one bigger than the first. The man fell heavily, a couple of flames on his back being snuffed by the thick fabric. A cheer rose from those assembled as he landed.

The three set down the blanket, allowing the man to roll off. Thanking them, he hurried away from the increasingly burning building.

"Looks like that was a good team effort," the young man quipped as they all moved from the side of the building.

"No doubt," Jamal replied. "What's your name?"

"I'm Logan," the student said. "What's yours?"

"I'm Jamal, and this is Wendy," Jamal said. "Thanks for everything, dude."

"No problem," Logan replied. "Just a 'right place at the right time' kind of thing."

"Well, you also chose to do the right thing," Wendy said. "And that counts for something."

As the three backed up, congratulated by people on the left and right, a translucent shape, distorting the atmosphere around it, darted off the scene. No one noticed except the rescued man. Nodding his head, he dusted his hands together and smiled at the departing group knowingly.

_Yes, young Wendy, it does count for something. And you're about to find out just what it counts for, very soon._

-S-

"Here's to the heroes."

Jamal held up his cup of lemonade in response to Eric's toast. The group was sitting with a bunch of Eric's other friends, getting in some relaxation and dinner after being practically mobbed by the press earlier in the day, despite what Jamal considered their minimal involvement. To him, the real heroes were the firefighters who actually saved the day, even though they'd been called in late. Oddly enough, no one could figure out why the alarm system had malfunctioned so thoroughly, and it seemed like maybe more was going on than simply an alarm failure.

Eric, however, would have none of it, and now was treating the three to dinner at the local grill. As far as he was concerned, one of his good buddies and two of his new friends were heroes and no one could claim anything different, not even them.

"Is your friend always this enthusiastic?"

Jamal gave Wendy an apologetic smile. Of the three of them, she was probably handling it the worst, while Logan was soaking up the attention. Jamal had guessed she'd be a little shy for this sort of thing, and it seemed he was correct. Unfortunately there was little way that they could simply leave without looking rude or at the least asocial, so Wendy would have to, at least for the moment, grin and bear it.

"I think he's got it down to a science," Jamal joked. "I don't know how he keeps it up though."

Wendy shook her head. "Not a science. It comes too naturally to him."

Jamal glanced at the girl. It was clear that she wouldn't be able to deal with it for much longer; the smile was becoming harder by degrees. "Uh, Eric? Wendy and I are going to go outside and get some fresh air."

"Hmm?" Logan glanced up. "I'll tag along too, if you don't mind."

Wendy shrugged. "Sure thing."

"Okay, but don't stay away too long," Eric remarked. "Otherwise, we'll have no one to applaud for."

Jamal raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Motioning to Logan and Wendy, he moved away from the table. While she didn't look too thrilled about Logan joining them, Wendy seemed at least glad to be in a smaller group.

"I'd like to apologize on behalf of Eric," Jamal said. "I know sometimes he can be a little…overwhelming, but he's just being friendly."

"I think he's a cool guy," Logan replied with a dismissive motion. "Plus, who'd turn down free dinner?"

Jamal chuckled. "Don't expect it to be an ongoing thing." Taking a deep breath, he leaned against a road sign which was slightly bent inward.

Logan smiled and stretched. "Nah, I wouldn't have."

Jamal glanced over at Wendy. Much more visibly relaxed, the shorter girl was yawning. Unused to dealing with less social people, Jamal was unsure of whether or not to say anything, and thus decided to remain quiet. She seemed to enjoy herself outside, in the fresh air, and he didn't want to ruin it. She was still a mystery, unlike Logan, who he felt as if he'd known for years. Although, that could have something to do with the countless childhood and high school stories he'd regaled all of them with at dinnertime, but that was a different story entirely.

Finally, Jamal spoke. "Well, at least things are settling down a bit. Maybe now we'll have a smooth ride."

Wendy frowned. "Last time you said that, a building caught on fire."

"I hardly think—" Jamal had been about to dispute her assertion when he heard the screams. Whirling around, he turned to face chaos.

From the sky, hovering reptiles seemed to be descending, grabbing people, upsetting cars, uprooting road signs, and generally causing havoc. A pair of reptiles grasped a car in their lower appendages; the occupants shouted and ran as they flipped the car over on its top. Another one latched onto a man's shoulders; the man yelled for help as the reptile threw him into a pile of people while other reptiles expressed what appeared to be mirth at the scene.

"Well, trouble just seems to follow you around," Logan quipped.

Jamal looked at him, then back at the knot of panic. Wordlessly, he took off into the fray.

Logan shook his head. "Well, he's certainly taking this hero thing to the next level."

Wendy watched him go, a look of approval on her face. "It's inspiring, almost." A few moments, and she was taking off after him.

Just then, Eric stepped outside. "Where are they going?" At that moment, he caught sight of the scene.

"Uh…" Logan did a one-armed shrug. "We've got some business to take care of. It comes with the job description."

-S-

"It seems that all of them are engaging the enemy as well, sir."

"How are they doing?"

"Surprisingly well, for now, sir. It would seem that the girl has some martial arts training. Who knew?"

"You'd have, if you'd read her file."

A trivializing snort. "In any case, the two males are still holding out, despite lack of finesse, sir. Are you planning on entering the fray at all?"

"I was actually thinking that maybe they'd react to you better."

"I see, sir. Is there anything else?"

"No thank you, Cadbury. That will be all."

-S-

Jamal ducked another slow punch from the reptile, then grabbed an arm and flipped it over his shoulder. The reptiles weren't particularly skilled at fighting, but there were several of them, and only he, Wendy and Logan had stayed behind to fight. Everyone else had fled, even the friends they had come with. The circle of lizards was growing tighter, closer, and Jamal found himself backed into his two comrades.

"This isn't going as well as planned," Jamal remarked.

Logan turned, still in a defensive posture. "Oh, really? I thought the plan was to get surrounded by a bunch of flying lizards and then get the stuffing knocked out of us."

"So what do we do now?" Wendy asked. "Honestly, this seemed like a better idea before it started."

"You can't be expected to do anything here," a new voice said. It had more than a touch of British to it, and it seemed to be coming from above them. Glancing upward, the three saw a strange sight indeed. What seemed to be an elderly man in a suit with bowtie and a towel over his arm was descending from very high up, landing in front of them without even bending his knees from the impact. Upon closer inspection they could see he was wearing a pair of sunglasses. His salt-and-pepper hair was slicked back, and he had a slightly amused look on his face, which looked oddly familiar, as he approached. It was then that Jamal noticed the lack of movement from the enemy combatants, and then that he realized that time had ceased to move. Reptiles were frozen in mid-swing, discarded trash hung above ground as if held by some unseen force. The traffic lights continued to stay red and yellow.

"What's going on?" Logan asked, looking at the man, and then up into the sky. "How did you jump down from…wherever…like that?"

"And why did everything just stop?" Wendy wondered.

The butler-looking character chuckled. "All your questions will be answered soon. For now, I require that you come with me. This little trick I've pulled won't last long, I'm afraid."

"Are we going to all fly up into the sky with you and have a tea party or something?" Logan asked. "Because, I've got to say, I'm not too into tea."

"Ah, the comedian of the group." The butler regarded Logan wryly. "There's always one, isn't there. But yes, you will be 'flying up into the sky,' as it were."

"Wait, are you seri—OWAAAAAA…" was the way it must have sounded, because suddenly they were all airborne, shooting across Ryker City. Strangely, there didn't seem to be any wind whipping across their faces, or intense pressure on their bodies as they sped along, so Jamal was unsure of what to think. Quickly enough, they seemed to arrive at their destination.  
The room looked like a giant laboratory merged with Jamal's imagining of Mission Control. Off to the left, there were rows of shelves, each with various liquids bubbling over Bunsen burners, with microscopes and dusty books abounding. The right side of the room had several monitors and workstations, all of it seemingly automated. But the entire room was dominated by a giant monitor in the center, an enormous keypad in front of it. A swivel chair was situated in front of it, turned to the side, and in the chair sat a human, dressed completely in black plated space-age armor, with various tubes leading to different places on the suit. His head was covered by a full motorcycle-looking helmet, also jet black, with an opaque visor. In the center of his breastplate there was a red pulsing gem ringed with silver. Turning completely to face them, the person stood.

"Greetings, Jamal, Wendy, Logan. We've been waiting for you."

Logan glanced at his friends, then at the butler, then at the armored person. "How did you know our names?"

Jamal glanced at him. "Is that really a question? They just teleported us here, so how hard could it be for them to know who we are?"

"Good deduction, Jamal," the butler said. "Sir, would you like to explain to them exactly what it is we're doing here?"

"Of course, Cadbury." The armored person stepped forward.

Wendy took a timid step back. "That's close enough."

The armored person tilted his head, then nodded. "No problem. I am called VRV Master by most who know me, and on your planet, I've been referred to as the Phantom Ranger. I've gone by the name Phantasm, so you can call me that as well. And I have called you here today to the VRV Base to let you know that your planet is in danger."

"Again?" Logan laughed nervously. "Didn't the Power Rangers already clean everything up for us?"

"If he's one of them, he'd know better than us," Jamal said. "Well, uh…Phantasm, what's going on now?"

"It seems that some of the forces of evil that attacked your planet and countless others have escaped judgment," Phantasm replied. "Two of these are active on Earth right now, using a nanotechnology corporation as a front in order to produce chimerically-engineered animals with which they attack the city."

"Dorem Corporation is the only nanotech place in Ryker City," Wendy said. "Is that the company?"

"Yes, Dorem and its subsidiaries are involved in this, but as I said, the company itself isn't the immediate threat here." Phantasm walked over to the computer and pressed a button, causing a pair of figures to appear on the screen. One was humanoid, dressed in gold and red armor and carrying a large metallic scimitar. The other was most likely a human female, dressed in a pink leotard and carrying a large pink bow. A quiver of arrows was strapped to her back, and a small crossbow was tied to her left wrist.

"These are Archerina and Scorpina," Phantasm continued, gesturing to the archer and the swordswoman respectively. "Formerly two generals for other armies that were vanquished during the battle between the Space Rangers and the United Alliance, they have joined forces in order to acquire the resources of the recently vacated moon base of the witch queen once called Rita Repulsa. We think, from studying these creatures they have sent that we call 'Nanobeasts' that they are attempting to open a portal to an almost literal hell on earth—the Deimos Grid. We will need your help to stop them."

"Why us?" Jamal asked. "I'm only asking because you seem to have an excellent setup here, and the shiny black equipment you're wearing seems like it would be state-of-the-art. So how could we help you?"

"For reasons I can't completely explain right now, I can't fight the Nanobeasts myself," Phantasm replied. "And I can't really send Cadbury after them. He's been a great help, but he's not invincible—whereas you three, in addition to being young and strong, have shown bravery and sang-froid in a trying situation."

"The fire in the engineering hall," Wendy hypothesized. "Was that your test?"

"Put your minds at ease; we ensured that no one was going to get hurt, and you know about the effectiveness of our teleportation system," Phantasm answered before the question was asked. "We are also paying for the damages in the form of an anonymous donation."

"By the way, thank you again for the help," Cadbury said, grinning. "Even though it was unnecessary."

"We don't exactly have that much of a chance against those things though," Logan remarked. "We were getting hammered against those lizards."

"Maybe so, but that will change," Cadbury replied, bringing a tray with three mechanical devices on it. Each was in the shape of a bird's head, and they were all one primary color with other minor colors: one was red, one was yellow, and one was rose.

"What are these?" Wendy asked, taking the rose-colored one.

Phantasm walked over, picking up the yellow device. "These are your Defense Morphers. They enable you to transform into the Aerial Defense Power Rangers."

All three students froze at this.

"I don't think they were expecting that, sir," Cadbury said dryly.

"I can safely say that, no, I wasn't expecting it," Logan said. "I don't know about these two though."

Phantasm tossed the yellow Defense Morpher to Logan. "You'll quickly learn to expect the unexpected."

"How do you operate it?" Jamal asked, looking over the third Morpher that he still hadn't picked up yet. "Is there an ON button?"

"It's voice activated," Cadbury added helpfully. "Once it's attached to your wrist, you simply say the phrase 'Aerial Defense, Engage' and you're transformed."

"Wendy, you're the Rose Owl, and Logan, you're the Yellow Kite," Phantasm said. "Jamal, you will lead the team as the Red Falcon."

Logan glanced at the Morpher in his hand, then at the one on the tray. Rolling his eyes, he said nothing.

Jamal frowned. "Isn't it a little early to be designating roles when we haven't even agreed to this?"

"Was I wrong about your character?" Phantasm countered. "Are you all not the types that see danger and peril for others, those you know and don't know, and rush in to save them? Do you see someone in trouble and not help them? Do you see the opportunity to make a difference and simply choose to walk away? If you do, then say so now, and it's your blue pill out of here. But if I was not mistaken, say so as well, and join me in the fight against evil. Extend your hand, and accept your destiny."

After a moment's hesitation, Jamal picked up the Morpher. It was lighter than he'd expected, and also colder to the touch. An odd but not unpleasant feeling washed over him, a feeling of rectitude, as if he was truly accepting destiny. He accepted the mechanism with a cautious but optimistic demeanor.

"Alright, Rangers, transform here," Phantasm said. "Then get to the city."

As one, the Rangers strapped the Morphers to their wrists, then held them to their faces. In unison, they said the phrase.

"Aerial Defense: Engage!"

Amidst a bounty of feathers, threadlike armor wove itself onto the three.

Jamal felt the surge of power through his body, nearly yelling in shock. The red and crimson protective suit latched onto his body from behind, coming around both sides to the front of his torso as a pair of white boots slipped over his feet. A pair of gold clips secured the boots at the tops to his pair of baggy samurai slacks just below the knee. Feathery designs etched themselves in white around the base of his collar, as matching markings grew through the pair of gloves fitting over his hands. A sturdy red helmet locked onto his face, the light in his forehead flashing twice, as a golden insignia with the letters "AD" appeared on his chest.

As he came down from the incredible high, he noticed almost peripherally that Logan and Wendy were dressed similarly, in yellow and rose versions of his own outfit. In addition, he detected their body language; it was obvious that they were feeling the effects just as potently as he was.

"Red Falcon, online," a computerized voice said over the intercom.

"Yellow Kite, online," a second voice said after a pause.

"Rose Owl, online," the third and final voice intoned.

"Time to get going," Jamal said as they teleported from the base.

-S-

"The Defense Morphers have been activated."

"Are you sure it's them?"

Two people, a male and a female, looked over the readouts on the chart that was printing from the computer. Sure enough, the spikes on the page indicated the surge of energy that was the signature of a morph having taken place.

"So what's our move?"

"We wait, for now. I want to see what Phantasm is planning first, then maybe we'll get into the mix. If the situation warrants it. Once Dorem shows signs of being backed into a corner, they'll need reinforcements."

"You know, he seems to have this planned pretty thoroughly. Maybe…maybe it's time to stop. Time to give up."

There was a pause. "Are you implying something about me?"

"I'm just trying to help you out. Take a load off."

"I'm not being obsessive here. You know that. I've got a personal interest. We used to be a part of this."

"I know, but you know…we can always walk away."

"Maybe you can, but I can't walk away." The resolve in the female voice was hardened like steel.

"I won't walk away."


	3. Episode 2: Take Flight Part II

**Episode 2: Take Flight Part II**

"Okay, so it's just like any other party," Logan quipped. "You leave for a while, come back, and the place is jumping."

Scores of Komodoroids swarmed like a poison cloud, making it difficult to see around them. The wall of flying reptiles moved toward them as they stood, although none broke off to try and attack them.

"So do we have weapons we can use against these lizards?" Wendy wondered. No sooner had she finished the sentence when three balls of light—one red, one yellow, and one rose—appeared hovering over them. Jamal reached out and grabbed his, as it melted into the shape of a blade. Shimmering for a few moments, it hardened into a long cutlass, the handle protected by an intricately designed hilt-guard.

Not to be outdone, Logan snatched the yellow ball from the sky. This one broadened and flattened, hardening into the circular, concave shape of a large throwing shield. Etchings of wings inscribed themselves all around the edge.

Wendy's ball of light separated into two smaller identical shapes upon contact. These flattened and broadened as well, but into half-circles with accordion patterns. Twin tassels extruded from the bases of each, creating a pair of war fans.

"Swift Wing Sword, activate," Jamal called out. A corner of his mind wondered how he knew that name.

"Strong Wing Shield, activate."

"Silent Wing Fans, activate."

"Okay," Logan said. "I'll take this third, you take that third, Wendy in the middle, and we should be good to go, right?"

"I don't think it's that simple," Jamal said. "We're going to have to work together to take down this many."

"What is this, Sesame Street?" Logan asked. "Let's just take these guys and then go after Dorem. How tough can a bunch of grunts be?"

"I seem to remember being the leader here," Jamal said. "I'm not trying to pull rank—"

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job of it," Logan said, lifting his shield. "Time to get in there."

With that, Logan jumped forward into the fray, smashing aside Komodoroids left and right. Shaking his head, Jamal glanced at Wendy.

"This isn't good," Wendy said.

Jamal shrugged. "We'd better help him out."

With that, the two hurried after Logan. Although there were numerous Komodoroids surrounding them, the lizards were significantly worse at fighting. Grinning beneath his helmet, Logan grabbed a lizard by the shoulders and pummeled it with a pair of front kicks, sending it into a mass of its comrades. An arc of the reptiles flanked him; spinning with his left arm extended, he battered them back away from him fiercely. Still more Komodoroids attacked; he catapulted himself away with a back-flipping kick from the reptile right in front of him, cracking another lizard warrior on the head as he landed and slamming it with force into the ground.

"These powers are pretty awesome," Logan marveled. "How's that for teamwork?"

Shaking his head, Jamal slashed aside a pair of Komodoroids like lightning. Localizing upon him as the leader, the Komodoroids leapt as one toward him. For a moment, Jamal hesitated; then, with a shout, he braced himself with both hands to the ground, sheathing his sword in one fluid motion. A twist of the wrists allowed him to spin around rapidly, kicking aside the ring of reptiles that were attacking. As he rolled aside, however, a Komodoroid snarled from his left, blades flashing from the wrists. Just in time, Jamal brought up his sword, blocking the strike and coming up into a massive uppercut, sending the lizard warrior flying.

But the most dramatic change came in Wendy. Fans flashing, her shape a blur, the small pink figure barreled through her opponents with ease. Her quickness was only matched by her uncanny silence; the only sounds in her wake were those of the Komodoroids, the rage and pain evident through their beast-like roars. Quicker than thought, the Rose Owl tore through her opponents like a gust of wind whisking through confetti, leaving chaos behind her.

Regrouping, the trio stared down the mass of creatures once more.

"Something's weird here," Wendy said. "Most of them aren't attacking. It seems like groups are breaking off from the main hive to fight us, but they don't leave the group until they're forced to."

"Well then, let's force them to," Logan laughed, swinging his shield. "We can take them."

"Well, that could be true," Jamal said. "But there could be something that we didn't really—"

Suddenly, Jamal stopped.

"What are you—oh." Logan broke off as he looked where Jamal was looking.

Wendy said nothing, but realized the gravity of the situation as well.

Something that looked dangerously similar to a massive cannon pointed at the three of them. Concealed by the mass of Komododroids, it had been unseen until they moved apart, and now floated in midair, being hauled toward them by the flying lizards.

"Okay. That's a really big cannon."

Jamal tried to look away from the cannon to glance at Logan. Tried, and failed. "You think?"

"So, Captain, any suggestions?" Logan replied.

Jamal may have said something, but the cool blue glow that seemed to come from the mouth of the blaster stopped him from saying anything.

"It's charging up," Wendy whispered, somewhat futilely.

"Scatter!" Jamal shouted.

With a flash, Jamal and Wendy leapt to the side, but Logan managed only to raise his shield before the blast went off.

"Logan!" Jamal's arm shot back, grabbing Logan's shoulder as the beam of destruction slashed toward them. The blast ricocheted off of the shield up and to the left, after which it sliced through a building and up into the sky.

Jamal would have been blown back, if not for the hold Logan had on his arm. His feet gouged a pair of furrows in the pavement, but they were only a foot long at the most.

"How's _that_ for teamwork?" Jamal said.

Wendy landed close to the two, panting heavily. "We'll need some real teamwork to take that thing out."

"Okay, we'll do it your way for now," Logan muttered.

"Good," Jamal answered. "I've got a plan."

-S-

"What is this?"

The shrieking demand came from the left, causing the young woman to jump, nearly dropping her bow. But the question wasn't directed at her; the creature being approached was the small skull on the table. A pair of miniature feet poked from the base of the skull; these were the only appendages on the creature. The speaker crossed the expansive room toward the head, her gilded armor glistening by the light of the candles around the occult-looking room. As she stepped over the silver hexagram inset in the ground, the steely expression on her face deepened to a glower.

"Scorpina, we've prepared for this," the young woman said, fumbling nervously with the clasp of her magenta lace hood and cape. "We can make the necessary changes to our plan—"

"We were WORKING under faulty _intelligence_!" Scorpina hissed back. "Revolto, you told us that the Ranger powers had been deactivated with Zordon's demise!"

"Scorpina," the archer placated, coming over. "After the Phantom Ranger's attack, we could have assumed that the Morphin Grid was still active."

"Phantasm's powers aren't derived from the Morphin Grid, Archerina," Scorpina said, her tone a little softer. "But those…those are most definitely Grid Rangers."

"My intelligence was not faulty."

Both Archerina and Scorpina turned to look at the small creature with glowing red eyes, Scorpina's glare and Archerina's quizzical look regarding the skull.

"I told you," the skull called Revolto snarled. "The rangers active prior to the Z-Wave were deactivated. These have a different conduit to the Morphin Grid than something tied to Zordon. It's possible that the Phantom Ranger used the Ruby in order to open up another channel; whatever the case, we'll have Dorem proceed with his half of the bargain."

"And Dr. Shimazu?"

If Revolto had been something other than a skull, he'd have grinned evilly at that. As it was, his facial expression was already in the form.

"This could be even better than we thought, if we can play it right."

-S-

"Okay, I'm ready," Logan said.

"Me too," Wendy added.

The cannon began to charge once more, glowing and humming with an ominous undertone.

"Alright," Jamal said, hefting his sword. "And…go!"

The blast rocketed toward them, the Komodoroids grinning their wide reptilian smiles as they flew out of the way of the blast that hurtled debris to the sides as it passed—

—but then Logan raised his shield, just as they had planned, deflecting the blast as Jamal and Wendy leapt from behind him. They streaked through the air, flying toward the cannon. Seeing their trajectory, the flying lizard warriors changed course, dashing toward the pair as quickly as possible, but then Wendy became a silent whirling dervish, clearing the path. Her quick, quiet fans blasted aside enough Komodoroids for Jamal to slice forward, dipping his sword into the metal as he soared past easily, his feet a blur as he shot down the metal apparatus. The entire length of the cannon was split in half, uselessly falling apart into two grooves that hung pathetically from the handles.

"Yeah! Take that!" Logan said, thrusting his fist into the air. The remaining Komodoroids were stunned enough by the destruction of their ultimate weapon that they fell easily and were forced to retreat.

"That's all of them," Jamal said some time later when they regrouped. "This doesn't make sense, though."

"What is it?" Logan asked.

"They were prepared for us," Jamal replied. "They had the cannon, but we hadn't even gotten back yet."

"Who knows," Logan said. "Maybe they knew something was up when we got whisked away in the blink of an eye."

Jamal shook his head. "I don't think it's that simple. They couldn't have reacted that quickly; why would they assume that we were coming back?"

Logan shrugged. "Maybe they didn't."

Wendy glanced at Logan. "You might be right. There's always the possibility that it wasn't for us."

"Then who?" Jamal asked. He looked around, thinking. "We're not going to get any answers standing around out here."

"True," Wendy agreed. "Back to the base?"

Jamal nodded. "I've got a couple questions for Phantasm."

In an instant, the Rangers appeared in the base. Unclasping the hooks at the sides of their helmets, they removed the head coverings and walked over to the control station where Cadbury and Phantasm were studying some readouts.

"Hello, Rangers," Cadbury greeted without looking up. "We've been monitoring the fight, and we've been able to analyze the structure that the three of you were luckily able to destroy."

"The energy emitted from that blaster is a focused beam of what we've called 'negatons,'" Phantasm explained, also still studying the readout. "They're similar to antiprotons in mass, volume, and charge, except they tend to cluster in molecular-like structures, allowing them to be focused in a beam form. They're also affected by the Deimos Grid, but luckily, our enemies haven't been granted full access to it just yet. If you'd been hit, it would have shorted out your Ranger forms immediately."

"Hold on," Jamal said. "Why were they using that cannon against us? They didn't know that we were Power Rangers until we got there, but they had the cannon already."

Phantasm hesitated. "They were expecting me, most likely. But like I said, I cannot go into battle."

"So they can use power from the Deimos Grid to fight us, but they can't open it up yet?" Logan asked.

Cadbury nodded. "Precisely, Logan. If they have any other devices similar to that one it will be necessary to destroy them as well."

"Good job on devising a plan to destroy it, by the way," Phantasm commended. "Unfortunately, now that they know your abilities, they'll no doubt compensate for them. We've got a long battle ahead of us, but luckily there are some abilities that you haven't tapped into just yet."

"How exactly did we do that?" Jamal asked. "All of a sudden, I knew that I could move really quickly, and how to use my sword correctly. I've never fenced before, so how'd that happen?"

"The transformation also includes a direct data download for combat techniques," the Phantom explained. "When you morph, you gain those techniques instantly, and they build on top of what you already know and are capable of."

"So that's why Wendy was destroying them left and right," Jamal said, grinning down at Wendy, who beamed in response.

"Well, I've got to say, those NanoBeasts aren't really as tough now that we have these Ranger powers," Logan replied. "If that's what you're warning us about we've got it covered."

"Those were just foot soldiers," Cadbury said. "The true threat has not yet been revealed."

"So should we be finding out what sort of plans Dorem Corp. has in store for us?" Wendy asked. "If they're developing more weapons and stronger NanoBeasts—"

Phantasm held up a hand, silencing the Rose Ranger. "In time, Wendy, in time. We can't afford to show our hand so early."

"So what do we do now?" Logan asked.

"Go back to your lives and wait for further instructions," Cadbury suggested. "If you are needed, we will contact you through your morphing devices. They also work as two-way communicators, so you can contact us or each other if necessary."

"And how do we get back?" Wendy inquired. "I'm not exactly sure where 'here' is."

"Well, how did you get here in the first place?" Phantasm asked.

Wendy glanced around. "I think I just…pictured this place in my mind, and I was being shuttled here just like before."

Jamal nodded. "That's how I did it too. I assume it's the same in reverse?"

Phantasm nodded. "The direct data download works somewhat subconsciously, so you might not even know you have the knowledge of something until it's needed. To tell you the truth, I don't even know all the specifics of your powers."

Wendy nodded, apparently satisfied. "Okay, then, back to campus, I guess."

Logan nodded as well. "I think I need a nap."

With flashes of yellow and rose, they were gone.

"So that's how it looks to others," Jamal noted, looking around. "I guess that sort of thing would need to be done in private."

Cadbury nodded. "If you don't mind, let's keep all of this little operation private."

Jamal shrugged. "I'd figured this wasn't something to go blabbing about; the wrong people might be listening."

"Good," Phantasm said, then paused, spreading his hands in a show of good faith. "If you don't mind my asking…"

"Why am I still here?" Jamal finished.

It was the Phantom's turn to shrug. "Not to suggest that you should or have to leave now, but both of your teammates did."

"Well, there's something of an elephant in the room," Jamal replied. "I'm not really a fan of leaving them lying around."

Phantasm tilted his head quizzically, then looked at Cadbury.

"Er, an issue that, while the people involved know of it due to it being obvious, the difficulty in dealing with it leads them to avoid voicing its existence, sir," Cadbury explained.

"Ah." Phantasm nodded. "And this supposed elephant would be…?"

"It'd be the issue of you not being out there with us." Jamal folded his arms. "I have a hard time just accepting that you didn't know about the danger we were getting into, and the fact that you stayed behind makes me more than a little wary. If there's going to be danger, then whatever, but you still haven't explained why you can't fight the NanoBeasts with us, and you seem more than a little eager to avoid explaining it than necessary. It's not as if you didn't develop the things that we're using; you could have easily only recruited two of us, or made a fourth suit in, I don't know, black or something. You don't look infirm in any way, so it's a little odd."

"Is that what's bothering you?" The Phantom matched Jamal's stance, a humored tone in his voice as he folded his arms. "That's a very insightful, if not bold question."

"It's also a very unanswered one," Jamal replied. "Care to fix that situation?"

"I suppose that it's only fair." Phantasm let his hands drop. "But it's somewhat…not really degrading, or humiliating, but maybe something similar to a combination of the two."

Jamal frowned. "What exactly do you mean?"

Phantasm sighed. "In an espionage mission I had engineered, I was discovered by Archerina, and while trying to escape, I was drugged by her. I haven't yet figured out if the toxins have left my system with time, but in the meantime, I am unable to go into the open against her. That attack was an attempt to force me out and weaken me in order to capture the gem inset in my armor."  
He looked down, rubbing the ruby that seemed to glow red as he touched it. "If I were to be exposed, she merely needed to make an appearance and all would be lost."

Jamal's eyes widened. "What kind of toxin did she use that could cause this?"

If a helmet could convey a countenance, Phantasm's would surely be grim. "She used the Arrows of Aphrodite."

"The goddess of love?" Jamal raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little confused."

"Love has nothing to do with it." Phantasm turned away. "It's a persuasion-hypnosis toxin. Had I engaged the enemy, and she appeared on the scene…I would have…would have…"

Cadbury cleared his throat. "My master simply wishes to remain on the side of the 'good guys,' if you will. Going in public could have jeopardized that."

Jamal's eyes widened. "How are you fending it off now?"

"A combination of distance and a low level of poison," Cadbury offered helpfully. "Unfortunately we haven't figured out how to counter the toxin, or whether it gets stronger as time goes on. It's unlikely that the poison's effects will be magnified, but there's no need to take chances."

"Well, I guess it's not a good story without an inner struggle," Jamal said wryly. "If only our enemies were going through something similar."

"If only, indeed," Cadbury agreed.

-S-

Scorpina knelt beside the pulsating blue gem in the shape of a large toad. Her brow was furrowed in concentration; streaks of lightning lanced around the sapphire, causing it to flash with gold sparks. A bead of sweat trickled down just inside her right eye and down the edge of her nose, but she did not even blink, so great was the warrior's focus.

Archerina stood to her right silently, watching the scene with interest. It was clearly not the time to interrupt, but once the ritual was over, she'd need to know what needed to be done to get the Komodoroids back into fighting shape, and how quickly Dorem could upgrade the systems. They had been dispatched to lure out one Ranger, not three, and certainly not these avian attackers that were reminiscent of the teenagers who had caused them so much grief in the past.

However, Scorpina apparently was less concerned with the NanoBeasts, which struck Archerina as odd. Why was building up a team of generals so necessary? She herself had called in a favor, resulting in General Venjix's arrival earlier, but the mechanical commander was not enough to satisfy the golden swordswoman, and of course Archerina was degraded for the suggestion. Could Scorpina truly believe that power would be gained by actually trying to resurrect the Evil Alliance from the dregs that remained? All those who could be reached now were those who had sufficiently shielded themselves from the debilitating and destructive effects of the Z-Wave, and that meant they had run in fear of the coming apocalypse. How could any of them have what it took to bring Scorpina the glory she so coveted?

The archer glanced at Venjix. The general had certainly been more than surprised to see her "sporting skin," as he had said. His scanners had concluded that the change had gone down to the core; as far as he could tell, she was simply a human being with some above average elemental powers over fire and impeccable aim with a bow and arrow. Beyond that, nearly nothing had remained the same about her composition. Though she hadn't said it, the biting criticism of her newfound humanity had affected her negatively, as she feared that he would be prejudiced against her as she had once been against non-mecha. Even now he watched the ritual in a bored manner; summoning yet another biological life-form to assist them was counter-productive by his calculations.

Suddenly, Scorpina stood quickly as the sapphire carving began to shimmer and shake wildly, visibly affected by the tremors. The entire lagoon began to be disturbed as ripples of energy washed over the area. Archerina's hesitant question was silenced by a hand from Scorpina, and Venjix's demeanor changed only slightly to acknowledge the event.

With a burst of energy and a low croaking sound, a large round froglike creature appeared before them. His body was armed with jeweled armor and elaborate necklaces ringed his head and shoulders. In one hand he carried a giant hammer; in the other he held a strangely shaped golden vase with clear gems ringing the base. Archerina eyed the sinister white markings and warts with disgust, and Venjix scoffed at the appearance, but apparently Scorpina was pleased.

"You've freed me," he growled, a wheezing undertone affecting his voice. "Tell me why."

Scorpina clasped her hands together. "Hekatoid. You were once held up as one of the strongest warriors for the forces of darkness. As one of the Ten Terrors of the Underworld, your reputation inspires any who would choose such a path. Your cruelty and effective methodology makes you a force to be reckoned with."

"Enough," Hekatoid snapped, wheezing loudly and coughing to the side, which made Archerina squirm with barely concealed revulsion. "What is it you want? I can't imagine that you don't want something from me, considering that introduction. Who are you?"

"I am the one called Scorpina," Scorpina replied. "I was formerly a warrior in the service of Lord Zedd directly under Rita Repulsa. At this time, I and others are attempting to revive that which was lost during the battle for the universe, and bring The World to its full prophesied fruition."

"The battle has ended?" Hekatoid inquired, piqued. "From your tone I assume the Power Rangers won."

"A pyrrhic victory," Scorpina said dismissively. "Zordon of Eltar was destroyed in the battle."

"And what of the VRV Master?" Hekatoid leaned forward with glee.

Scorpina hesitated, then said, "We are still pursuing him."

Hekatoid said nothing, but instead bowed his rotund head. A glow emanated from his body; the cavern and lagoon started to shake again. Archerina glanced at Scorpina, and then back at the robot, somewhat worried. Scorpina remained determined, while Venjix was motionless and unhurried.

Suddenly, with a burst of laughter, Hekatoid spread his arms wide as everything settled once more. Presently his hysteria cooled into a sinister, wheezing chuckle.

"For a moment I thought you had taken all the fun," the toad-like creature hissed in a low voice, his tongue flitting in and out of his mouth. "I would truly like to be part of the group that creates The World. Lead on, Scorpina, as long as you leave the VRV Master to _me_."

Venjix's eyes glowed as he started to protest, but a look from Archerina stopped him. Perhaps he did respect her to a certain extent, or perhaps his further analysis of the situation warned him of a 63.79 chance of failure in attempting to defy both Scorpina and Hekatoid. Earlier they had been two, and now they were four…Archerina had doubted, but perhaps Scorpina's vision, with Venjix's practicality and Hekatoid's untapped powers, was what they needed to defeat the VRV Master—the Phantom Ranger—once and for all.


	4. Episode 3: Flying Blind

**Episode 3: Flying Blind**

Jamal's eyes thinned, taking in his opponent. His target flashed invitingly as he prepared himself for the attack. His muscles coiled, ready to spring. Stomping forward with a full-throated yell, he launched himself forward, thrusting his foot out in a flying roundhouse kick. The target was obliterated; Jamal smashed through with all his strength, focusing his energy into a small ball then exploding it outward from his foot.

The training dummy flickered, then faded into nothingness.

"I've got to say, this training simulation program is pretty useful," Jamal remarked, un-strapping and tossing aside the pair of training gloves and greaves. "If anything, that's a pretty good positive to this whole mission."

"That's the idea," Phantasm chuckled. "This technology was adapted from that used aboard the Astro Megaship with the Space Ranger team. It allows us to keep our skills sharp without extra practice from the invading alien groups."

"Is there a setting where they fight back?" Jamal asked. "I mean, not that having a punching bag isn't good enough, but it'd be nice to practice the martial arts stuff, to be able to store it in muscle memory. If we get into a situation where for whatever reason we can't morph, I doubt Wendy would be thrilled at being the only one who could competently protect herself."

Phantasm nodded. "We have it disabled when not in use, though; there was something of an episode where the Space Rangers had to deal with the simulation becoming a little too real."

Jamal chuckled. "I'm glad you worked out all the bugs then." He reached for his red towel, which was resting on a nearby weapon rack.

It had been scarcely a day since the first fight against the Komodoroids, and yet Jamal felt energized and ready to take down the alien attackers. Phantasm had showed him the ins and outs of various battle sequences from times past, and all three of them had been learning what it meant to be a Power Ranger. Logan and Wendy had elected to have lunch on campus rather than accompany Jamal back to the VRV Base, but they would probably come by during one of their own free periods, or perhaps at night. The alien supplement they had taken allowed them to get by on less than one hour of sleep a night, so as to allow them time to work on their college material. And right now, Jamal was feeling the effects as he bounced softly on the balls of his feet and stretched his neck from side to side.

"Oh, and Jamal, I wanted you to see this." Phantasm gestured for Jamal to follow him. Shrugging, the Red Ranger put the towel over his neck and followed the dark Phantom.

Presently the pair came to what appeared to be a control room. There was a large view-screen dominating the room, like in the main control room, but the room itself was considerably smaller. On the screen were a few different views of the same apparatus: a silver metallic sextet of wings with a pair of black backpack straps. Various stats about the apparatus flashed down the side of the screen, scrolling quickly down.

"This is the Seraph Wing," Phantasm said. "The three of you can use this in order to have self-contained flight. It's got rockets on the back for speed, a pair of gamma ray cannons on the shoulders, two energy blades on the front of each wing, and standard star-rounds installed in the wing, with teleportation-based reload on all the weapons. Meaning you've basically got infinite ammo for these things. There's also a built in, voice-activated positioning system for when you're in a situation where you can't see."

Jamal's eyes widened with excitement. "There's one for each of us?"

"Well, not exactly," Phantasm said apologetically. "Right now, the three of you will have to share this one. It's actually the prototype, so it hasn't gone into mass production yet, but it should work well for your missions."

Jamal let out a low whistle. "I'll say. When are we going on another mission, by the way?"

Phantasm shrugged. "It's hard to say. I think we actually might need reinforcements, if what I've found is correct."

"What did you find out?" Jamal asked.

Phantasm turned to Jamal. "Our enemies are building an army. As we speak, they're on the move, gathering the remnants of the forces that once stood against all that is good and decent. And the specific attributes of those enemies tell me something that I had hoped wouldn't be the case. I'd say it wasn't, except their actions seem to reflect nothing else, in the choice of those allies they selected."

"How does that relate to their plans?" Jamal asked.

"I'll explain." The Phantom tapped some keys on the keyboard, bringing up an image of a six-armed statue on the view-screen. The face was blank, and the arms were splayed out similarly to the Vitruvian Man. Dressed in a suit of armor, the figure was somewhat imposing, but not too frightening.

"This is the Deimos Statue," Phantasm said. "We're not sure where this is in the universe, but we believe it is around the Cimmerian Planet system. These hands each represent an attribute, one of six. The six attributes are Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Thunder and Void."

Jamal nodded. "Go on."

"Fallen creatures or servants of evil generally have a hard time of combining their powers if they are of differing attributes," Phantasm continued. "This is why, if a group of aliens targets a planet, they are generally of the same attribute. However…"

Phantasm clicked another button, and a couple of pictures appeared next to pictures of Scorpina and Archerina. They were pictures of a black armored automaton and a blue, rotund amphibious-looking creature.

"The villains of this little story have recruited two new generals," Phantasm said. "The one on the left is called Venjix, a general of the Machine Empire, and the one on the right is called Hekatoid, one of the Ten Terrors of the Underworld. One thing to note is that none of these four are of the same attribute. Scorpina is of an Earth alignment, Archerina is Fire; Hekatoid is most likely Water, and Venjix, as are most machines, is Thunder. This means that if they get someone who is Wind and someone who represents the Void attribute, they will have everything they need to activate the Deimos Statue."

The Phantom's voice went low. "They're going to invoke the 'World' sequence."

"The World?" Jamal asked. "What do you mean?"

"'The World' is the code for the dark magical spell used to open the Deimos Grid fully as a transforming agent for the Earth," Phantasm replied. "I was under the impression that they would simply use it in order to gain a nearly limitless supply of power, but what they intend is far darker and far worse than that. They intend to turn the Earth Surface into what they refer to as the perfect world, inhabited only by creatures of darkness and spirits of sorrow. Hence, the title."

Phantasm's hand curled into a fist. "I swore to Zordon once that I would never let that happen. He was my comrade, and his death directly caused the energy wave that decimated our enemies. It would be worse than wrong to allow The World to be created after what he sacrificed to bring the opposite. He reportedly said that he would live on in all that was good before he died, and if all good is extinguished, so is he."

Jamal nodded. Not knowing much about this Zordon, he was slightly uncomfortable with the subject, but it seemed as if Phantasm had been extremely loyal to this man. Not in the sense of a family member, but more in the way that one regards a trusted mentor; Phantasm's determination had to have its source in the promise he had made, and the promise's strength had to be equal to that of the respect he had had for this Zordon. Given that Zordon was now dead and yet the Phantom was still doing this work, that respect must have been immense at the least.

The Phantom chuckled. "Sorry about that. I get carried away sometimes."

"No need for apology," Jamal replied. "I'm sure this Zordon must have been someone to look up to."

Phantasm nodded. "I owe him my life."

-S-

"So what do you think of all this?"

Wendy shrugged. Honestly, she wasn't really thinking about it in that way; it wasn't a decision that she had made lightly, but it had been made, and she wasn't going to go back on it, so it was a situation to be assessed and continued within. Unfortunately, expressing as such was the difficult part for her, being the self-appointed "quiet one" in the group. Logan was perhaps her polar opposite in that regard, always having some smart remark to make. The not-quite-yet infuriating part was that he also disliked his being relegated to a non-leadership status, so he mostly had things to say about that.

"It's just something new to get used to," she replied, looking down at her food. "Unexpected things happen."

"I don't really think this can be filed under 'unexpected things,'" Logan said, an eyebrow raised. "C'mon, you've got to be just as blasted away as Jamal and me about this. I mean, look what we are!"

"What are you?" Eric asked, walking up with a girl with long blonde hair. Wendy couldn't remember if the girl was his girlfriend or not; come to think of it, she couldn't even remember the girl's name. She was friendly-looking enough, and wore a blue, gauzy blouse with a tank top underneath and jeans. Eric was wearing a white half-buttoned shirt and black denim, although in Wendy's opinion red would have suited him better.

"Hmm?" Wendy asked, only realizing peripherally that Eric had addressed a question toward her, albeit facetiously. "Sorry, I, um, zoned out for a moment."

"Don't apologize, I have that effect on people from time to time," Eric replied facetiously, eliciting rolled eyes from the blonde girl and a light backhand to the upper arm. Wendy shrugged, knowing the question hadn't yet been restated, so she wasn't required to say anything here.

"Uh, we were just pretty excited about being sophomores now," Logan replied, covering quickly. "You know, not at the bottom of the food chain anymore."

"That's like the least important class distinction," Eric said with a laugh. "Anyway, you guys remember Victoria, right?"

"Yeah," Logan said, smiling and nodding. "From dinner that one time."

"Yep, that's me," Victoria replied. "And a word of caution: don't call me Tori."

"So are you guys going to be here for a while?" Eric continued. "We just got lunch."

"Uh, sure, go ahead and sit," Logan said, gesturing to the other seats. Moving over, he and Wendy made room for Eric and Victoria.

"So, how are you liking RCU so far?" Eric asked after they had been eating for some time. "You're new here, right?"

Wendy glanced up. "Uh, it's pretty okay, I guess."

Logan peered at her. "Are you alright?"

"I guess I'm a little out of it," Wendy replied. "I was up studying for a while yesterday, I want to stay sharp."

Eric nodded. "So where's the fearless leader?"

"The who?" Logan asked, looking surprised.

"Where's Jamal?" Victoria asked, explaining.

Now it was Logan's turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, let's be fair. He's not the one who climbed up the side of the burning building."

Eric shrugged. "It was only a joke."

Wendy watched Logan's reaction carefully. It was obvious that he didn't want to be caught looking like a spoilsport, although he felt he had been done wrong. Wendy guessed the desire to keep things cool would win out.

Logan smiled broadly. "Yeah, I know. I was just joking too."

Score one for the quiet dorky chick.

"Yeah, he'll probably be here later today," Logan went on. "He's doing some training. Martial arts and stuff."

"Oh really?" Eric asked, interested. "I'm totally into all sorts of martial arts; is there a good place to go around here?"

"Uh…he didn't really say," Logan lied, hoping it wouldn't come off as blatant. "He just mentioned he was going to the gym or something."

Victoria smiled. "I've always thought that most martial arts were pretty cool. I used to read a whole lot about jujitsu and Gojin-Ryu and such. I'm kind of a big nerd when it comes to that sort of thing. My favorite is ninjitsu."

"Hey, Wendy," Logan asked. "What style do you practice again?"

Wendy glanced up. "Um…shotokan-ryu and aikido. I've dabbled in iaido and kendo, but I'd hardly call myself a practitioner of either."

"Don't like weapons?" Victoria asked lazily, chuckling.

Wendy smiled politely, but did not respond.

Logan nodded. "Uh-huh. Well, that's pretty cool. I'm not really familiar with those, but they sound…interesting enough."

"Well, the way I remember it, shotokan is basically just what most people identify as karate, and aikido is a lot like judo with the throws and the redirected energy," Victoria replied. "And iaido and kendo are both sword techniques, right?"

Wendy nodded. "Iaido has more to do with drawing and re-sheathing than most sword-based arts, though. That's part of the reason I didn't like it too much."

Victoria shrugged. "It's pretty fancy though, or so I hear."

"Maybe a little too much so," Wendy replied quietly.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Speaking of fighting, did you guys hear about what happened?" Eric asked, leaning in conspiratorially. "There's been another monster attack right here, in Ryker City. Apparently the Power Rangers are back to save the day."

"Yeah, looks like you guys have some competition for the title of hero," Victoria added teasingly.

Logan threw a look at Wendy. The girl was calm, and seemingly not about to rise to the bait. "Well, they are pretty cool. Especially the yellow one; they think he's the toughest."

"I don't know," Victoria said. "It's all about the Pink Ranger. She really knows how to get down."

"Rose, actually," Wendy replied quietly before she realized what she had said. "Uh, the color looked more like a rose-ish hue than what could logically be called pink. Pink would denote a stronger color, whereas rose is much softer."

Eric and Victoria looked at each other, then back at Wendy.

"Um, you're quite the expert," Logan said, chuckling nervously again.

"Well…I'm going to go to a computer lab to check my email," Eric said, gathering his things.

"I'll also need to do that," Victoria said hastily, standing. "It was nice seeing you guys again."

"Yeah, see you around," Logan replied. "Maybe we'll all do something this weekend or something like that."

"Maybe," Eric said. Then he waved to Wendy and the two left.

"Well, I think it's about time to hit the old dusty trail too," Logan remarked. "You heading out, or are you gonna stay around here?"

"I'll probably be going back to the dorm," Wendy replied. "I've got some reading to do."

Logan nodded. "I'll see you later then." He turned slightly, then added: "Don't forget what I said though. This is definitely a major thing here. We can't shrug it off."

Shouldering his bag, Logan walked off.

-S-

"Get a load of this."

Hope West glanced at the small television screen in the squad car. The scene depicted a clean-up crew around Seventh Street, doing repairs on some stores around the University of Ryker City. The sound was off as usual, but the caption at the bottom said "Otherworldly Attacks Resume" as a reporter mouthed words into the camera, a steely look in his eye. His face was replaced by a picture of people in multicolored jumpsuits, with a caption reading "The Power Rangers."

"Those guys sure are heroes," Marshall Livingston, her partner, said. "Couple of blues like us, working the beat, we've got some catching up to do."

"Catching up to the Power Rangers?" Hope asked incredulously. "I think we're better off doing what we're doing and leaving the aliens and monsters to them. They do what they do, we do what we do, and never the twain shall meet."

"You don't think the team attacks are cool?" Marshall quipped.

Hope rolled her eyes. "I think they're impractical. When an alien's attacking, you don't all need to shoot at it from one direction. If I have a shot, I'm not going to wait around for my buddies to all put together our weapons and be one big happy family."

"It's not like that, I think," Marshall said. "And if you were going into situations like that, you'd probably value your fellow Rangers a lot more."

"What, life and death situations?" Hope asked. "We're cops, Marshall. I've got weapons strapped to me right now. It's not like we're working traffic either."

Marshall shrugged. "Perps don't have lasers and stuff, that's all I'm saying."

Hope turned to Marshall. "You think that since a crackhead with a couple hundred bucks worth of contra isn't packing something that makes craters like this—" she gestured to the TV, which showed the gouges in the road— "we're somehow not putting our lives on the line? Get real, Marshall."

"Yeah, I see how much danger we're in right now," Marshall said, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. "Save us all, we're gonna get killed."

"This is why I work best alone," Hope muttered. "Not babysitting some wannabe Power Ranger when I should be off at freaking Vanderbilt."

Marshall glanced at Hope, but said nothing. The two were sitting in the parking lot of Denny's, waiting for something to come over the intercom, but generally, during times of Ranger activity, crime tended to decrease despite the fact that Power Rangers generally didn't fight humans. During idle downtime, Hope tended to get…not really testy, but somewhat on edge. Contrary to what he believed, she really didn't mind him as a person, but the issue of Power Rangers tended to exacerbate any minor irritations. And right now, those minor irritations were coming from his direction.

Popping open a small package of aspirin, Hope took a swig of her water, peering out through the windshield like she normally did when it was time to ignore Marshall. She swallowed the pills heartily, gulping them down loudly as she glared at the silent radio.

"This isn't a life, it's barely a freaking existence," she grumbled. "I didn't sign on to feel my butt get wider in a squad car."

Marshall wisely said nothing to this; agreeing or disagreeing seemed to both be somewhat dangerous in this case. Instead, he shrugged and replied, "Maybe you ought to become a Power Ranger then."

Hope's eyes thinned as she regarded Marshall with all the benevolence of an injured coyote.

"It was only a suggestion," Marshall said, turning back to his chicken sandwich. "A joke, even."

"One that I won't dignify with a response," Hope replied curtly, turning back to the dashboard.

"You know, technically by saying that, you're—"

"_Marshall._"

"Sorry."

"No, not yet, but you will be."

Marshall sighed. "I wouldn't mind being one of them. I think I'd do just fine, yes ma'am."

"Why don't you see if they're holding tryouts?"

"Oh, very funny."

"Your dad would find it funny."

Marshall held up a warning finger. "Careful now, you're treading on dangerous territory."

Hope flinched. Marshall's father was a touchy subject with him, and she should have known better. "Yeah, sorry."

For a while, he was silent, and Hope knew that there were few things that caused Marshall to be in this state. Her brashness was something of a curse at times; saying what popped into her head was what she always did, regardless of the consequences.

"Look, I'm actually sorry," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb. "I'll buy you dinner or something. How about that?"

"Whatever. It's not that big of a deal." Marshall looked out the window. "I'll still take dinner though."

"You would," Hope said with a half-smile.

"No doubt about it."

There was another pause, then Hope turned to Marshall. "Hey, Marshall, I bet you'd make one hell of a Power Ranger."

"If I ever get the chance, I'll make sure you get a piece of the action," Marshall replied. "No more of this 'barely a freaking existence' bull."

Hope chuckled. "I'll hold you to that."

-S-

Six Seals of the Abyss, but Archerina hated that doctor.

Every move he made, every frightened twitch, every hurried glance reminded her of a quivering, pathetic mouse. It was sickening; the cloying stench of terror whenever they arrived was so thick as to make it impossible to move without triggering it. Humans on the whole seemed to have a weaker constitution, but some, such as Dr. Shimazu, were capable of carrying on a conversation without stammering in utter fear. Arnold Dorem was truly a worthless coward, and it would be her pleasure to leave him to his dying brethren once their dream was realized. Maybe she could even do him the service of taking his life before the savages of the Deimos Grid did him in first. It would be a kindness compared to what she wanted to do to him now.

"S-Scorpina, I have prepared the-the NanoBeast for you," Dr. Dorem said in his usual groveling manner. "I used the genes-the genes from an electric eel, a raptor and a, um, a—what was it—an anglerfish. It has t-the power to bl-bl-blind its enemies before destroying them."

The NanoBeast in question was a large biped, bluish and brown, and covered in scales. Its body was long, bulging above the abdomen where the animal's mouth cavity yawned. A tentacle extended from the crown of the creature's head, bending around to the front over the top like a wilting stalk. On the end of the stalk was a white sphere which seemed to pulse rhythmically. The talons on its claws, both front and back, were scythe-sharp.

"And what is it called?" Scorpina asked calmly, seemingly unfazed by the fact that the man was clearly terrified of her. The coward. What good was it if he pissed himself every time they came in? It was a wonder the doctor wasn't scared of his own creations.

"I…uh, I c-call it Striker," Dr. Dorem stuttered.

Scorpina nodded. "Alright. Hekatoid will take this Striker and a group of Komodoroids to cause havoc. We must lure the Rangers out so that we can dispose of them and get on with our plans."

Dr. Dorem nodded rapidly. Archerina glowered at the sight. The _coward!_ It was nearly unbearable to be in the same room with him. It would be over soon though.

"Alright, get on with it," Scorpina ordered. "I do hope that you equipped it with its own teleportation system."

"Yes, S-Scorpina," Dr. Dorem shuddered.

Scorpina nodded to the frog warrior. Hekatoid stepped forward, beckoning to the creature. In a flash, both he and the NanoBeast were gone.

"All right, Phantasm," Archerina said softly. "Your move."

-S-

"Aerial Defense: Engage!"

The group faced off against the pair of creatures accompanied by the Komodoroids. They weren't Archerina or Scorpina, but both looked formidable. The one on the left was a dinosaur-looking thing, with a fish head and what looked like a light bulb on the end of a stalk coming from its head. And on the right was a gigantic amphibian creature, blue-green with white streaks, holding a huge hammer in one hand, and an oversized pair of sunglasses in the other. The sun was just about set, so the whole area had an ominous shade to it as they faced the mutants.

"So, these are the Aerial Defenders," the round creature hissed. "Komodoroids, soften them up, then bring them here to us. Dead or alive, it is no matter."

"We'll see who's going to get softened," Logan shouted, thrusting an accusing finger at the amphibian. "We all ready?"

Jamal nodded. "Let's do this."

"Your efforts are in vain," the amphibian chortled. "This is Striker, and I am Hekatoid of the Ten Terrors. You will know this visage as your last sight."

"Ugh, what an image to have," Wendy said, disgusted. "That alone is reason enough to defeat you."

With flashes, the three held their weapons out as they glared menacingly at the advancing army. In an instant, they were in the midst of the fight, punches swinging, kicks being fired, weapons connecting and driving back the group, easily a score of the lizard warriors fighting back tooth and nail.

"This is the fantastic army that Scorpina created, hmm?" Hekatoid sneered disparagingly. "No matter, they serve their purpose. Striker, your assistance is appreciated."

"Yes, Hekatoid." The creature leapt forward into the fray, the whip on his head lashing out at the Rangers. A slap of the tail swept them off of their feet, and as they tried to rise, Striker ran past, slashing them viciously in his wake.

"This guy's tougher than the Komodoroids," Jamal said shakily, rising slowly. "But we'll beat him."

"Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see, Rangers!" Striker cackled with glee. "Solar Flare!"

Only then did Jamal realize the purpose of the glasses Hekatoid held. But it was too late. The monster's bulb flashed brilliantly, and Jamal felt like whiteness was assaulting him from all sides. He tried to surface through it, but it was like swimming through molten lead, and resonated in his seared eyes on and on and on. The suffocating light strangled the three with its merciless radiance, then there was simply darkness.


End file.
